Apparatus for killing animals by electricity



March 6, 1934.

K. A. WEBER 1,949,985

APPARATUS FOR KILLING ANIMALS BY ELECTRICITY Filed April 20. 1932 M11 W g W m Patented Mara 6, 1934 g g p APPARATUS FOR KILLING ANIMALS BY ELECTRICITY Karl Albert Weber, Nedre Bjornstad, Royken,

Norway Application April 20, 1932, Serial No. 606,341 In Norway February 1, 1930 4 Claims. (01. 175 s11) When killing animals by electricity it is preing material if desired. Each compartment is viously known to place the animal in a circuit in filled with an electrolyte and is by means of a consuch manner that said circuit is closed either ductor 7 connected toa movable contact 8, which through the front legs, body and rear legs of the contacts by means of a comm n operat n h n l animal, or through the front legs and the head, a e 9 y be p d against tWO fiXed 50 and the transmission of the current is obtained t c s Which by means of Conductors 11 are by placing the animal on conducting elements or connected to h Current mains .12 through n applying conducting electrodes against th body adjustable transformer. The lever 9 is acted of the animal. upon by a spring 9 which upon release of the 10 By such transmission of current, however, hair lever always moves the same to such a position 66 and hoofs have an insulating action a d th i that the contacts 8 and 10 do not touch each termediate resistance becomes great; hair and Otherhoofs will at the places where the current is The a imal s led into the conta ner 2 and so passing into and out of the animals body a t placed that the front legs are at one side and as two series-coupled condensers of small capacithe rear legs at the other side of the cross wall 70 ty, and parallel thereto is an ohmic resistance 3, and w t co a s 8 a closed e represented by the electric resistance of the sweat mal 010595 the Circuit/- y means of the electropores. A third resistance is that of the interior t a tact surfa e is o tainedwhich is s lar e body, but this resistance is very small relatively that the Current density need I101! be over -0 to the resistances first mentioned. amp per cm, and at the same time the killing 7 The capacitive resistance of the said condensvoltage is far below 220 volts. The transformaer i very reat fo -10w frequenciegbut decreases tion ratio of the transformer 13-therefore is adrapidly for increasing frequencies, and is at a iustable from 220/220 1 Volts;

frequency of 100,000 cycles per second practically The electrolyte may Suitable be a (muted $0111 zero, so that only the ohmic resistance remains. tion of about 2% Sodium chloride but also However, for economical reasons high frequenmon water may P Sufficient Cy be tion therefore relates to a method by which killing be tumble as shown in Fig 5 it being connected 3 current is sent through the animal by means of to a Shaft. 14 and throu h an arm 15 with a loaded 220 volts or less, and the essential feature cong sists therein that the transmission of current 535 62 gi ffi g g ggg gg ggfi 3 may from the terminalsto preferably the legs of the AS shown in Fig 3 the animal may be placed animal is effected by means of an electrolyte. upon grid4ike l tfo m 7 below which are 35 Hereby the intermediate resistance becomes situated a container 2' which is divided in two 0 smaller, as the hair and the hoofs do not act so compartments and filled with electrolyte. By efi c iv y in u i an a l r urf c f nraising the container to the position indicated tact s obtai d so tha t nt d y y in dotted lines, the animal is placed in the electrobe small, and local heat development is entirely lyt and the circuit may be closed, Instead of lo avoided. using one container 2' having a cross wall, two 5 The annexed-drawing illustrates by way of exseparate containers may be used and instead of ample various apparatus for using the new methmaking the container so as to be able to be od. raised or lowered, the platforms 17 may be so Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically and partly in arranged.

5 section one embodiment of the apparatus and In Fig. 4 is shown a third embodiment. By in Fig. 2 is the animal shown placed therein. means of pumps 18 is electrolyte pumped Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate two modified. embodithrough suitable nozzles '19 and delivered as jets ments and to the legs of the animal. The electrolyte is of Fig. 5 illustrates a detail. course connected to the current source as de- 0 In a narrow passage bound by two fences or scribed above.

10w walls 1 is arranged a container 2 of electrical- By means of the new method a surely killing ly insulating material. By a cross wall 3 of eleccurrent can be sent through the animal at low trically insulating material the container 2 is voltage, and the arrangement is such that the divided into two compartments 4 and 5, each of animal, when it falls, does not open the electric 5 which may be lined with an electrically conductcircuit, but keeps the same closed for a suifioient 1 I.

period of time so that the cells in the animals body lose their power of regeneration.

As will be understood the apparatus here shown and described may be altered in different ways within the scope of the invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for killing animals by electricity, compartments adapted to receive the front and rear legs, respectively, of the animal, a quantity of electrolyte in each of said compartments, said quantities of electrolyte being separate from one another, and means for impressing an electromotive force of killing strength between said separate quantities of electrolyte.

2. In an apparatus for killing animals by electricity, a single container, the outer surface of which is composed of an electric insulating materialand a cross wall of insulating material, dividing said container into two compartments, a quantity of electrolyte in each of said compartments, said quantities of electrolyte being separate from one another, said compartments being adapted to receive the front and rear legs, respectively, of said animal, and means for impressing an electromotive force of killing strength between said quantities of electrolyte.

3. In an apparatus for killing animals by electricity, a single container, the outer surface of which is composed of an electric insulating material and a tiltable cross wall of insulating material, said wall when tilted dividing said container into two compartments, a quantity of electrolyte in each of said compartments, said quantities of electrolyte being separate from one another, said compartments being adapted to receive the front and rear legs, respectively, of said animal, and means for impressing an electromotive force of killing strength between said quantities of electrolyte.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 having a support for the animal separate from said containers, and means for moving said support and said containers relatively to each other to effect immersion of the legs of the animal in said electrolyte.

' KARL ALBERT WEBER.

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